I got poison ivy while caching

[newdiscovery]

Its been making my life hell for a few days and its only getting worse, so its gonna be a while before I hit the caches again.

bummer

anybody have any tips? anti-itch cream is a lifesaver

[+Chokecherry]

Wash your clothes. Wash your tools that you had when you were around the poison ivy. Oral antihistimines and topical steroid creams.

[+USMCGecko]

Recognize it next time and avoid it, or carry some picture cards with you in case you are in doubt.

[+t4e]

hydrocortisone cream, i always have a big tab of it with me

 

i used to get Dermarest Plus over the counter, still a hydrocortisone based but had menthol and antihistamines and worked almost instantly, but i can't find it anywhere anymore

Edited May 6, 2010 by t4e

[+wimseyguy]

Technu is about to become your new best friend.

It won't solve this week's problem, but once you learn to recognize what PI looks like, an application of technu within 2 hours of exposure will seriously minimize the reaction.

Edited May 6, 2010 by wimseyguy

[+Chokecherry]

If you're freshly infected rinse with water (no soap) and then soapy shower should help decrease the irritation as well. Wash under those nails too.

[newdiscovery]

yep, this is most definitely all around my cache. http://www.poison-ivy.org/html/creeps1.htm

 

back to the drawing board

[+dfx]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_ivy#Effects_on_the_body has very good information

[+briansnat]

Technu is about to become your new best friend.

It won't solve this week's problem, but once you learn to recognize what PI looks like, an application of technu within 2 hours of exposure will seriously minimize the reaction.

 

Ditto on the Techu. Wash with it as soon as possible after exposure. It's expensive but worth it. If you don't have it in your medicine cabinet, washing thoroughly as soon as possible with cool water is the next best thing. And I mean really wash. Soap up, rinse and repeat about 5 or 6 times.

 

There is also a lotion called Ivy Block that can prevent reactions if applied before contact.

Edited May 6, 2010 by briansnat

[+KevinWinkler]

I try to avoid it every year, but always seem to get into it. I was out mushroom hunting a week ago and got it between my fingers really bad. I'm not saying you should do this or anyone else for that matter, but the only way I have found to kill it ... I scratch the $#!% out of it with a brush, and pour bleach right on it. It burns a little, but one or two applications of that, and it seems to dry right up for me. Like I said ... The disclaimer on the bottle says only to use as intended. And like they say in the movies, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME! But I'm just saying I don't like waking up in the middle of the night itching like a junk yard dog with fleas, so I bite the wooden spoon and get it over with fast. The longer you wait, the more it will spread.

[+Borst68]

Technu is about to become your new best friend.

It won't solve this week's problem, but once you learn to recognize what PI looks like, an application of technu within 2 hours of exposure will seriously minimize the reaction.

 

Ditto on the Techu. Wash with it as soon as possible after exposure. It's expensive but worth it. If you don't have it in your medicine cabinet, washing thoroughly as soon as possible with cool water is the next best thing. And I mean really wash. Soap up, rinse and repeat about 5 or 6 times.

 

There is also a lotion called Ivy Block that can prevent reactions if applied before contact.

 

Thanks for the info on Ivy Block Brian! I will have to pick some up. I have never been around Poison Ivy much. Now that I have taken up Geocaching, the stuff is EVERYWHERE.

[+9Key]

A friend of mine carries a little spray bottle of a 50/50 solution of water and rubbing alcohol and sprays himself down after each cache where he might have been in the PI. He swears by it.

 

If you break out all over your body suck it up and go to the doctor for a steriod shot and some prednisone tablets. It'll really knock it out!

[+DazeDnFamily]

Thankfully, I am blissfully immune to PI. I've had poison something (not sure what it was) once, when I was like nine. Ever since then, I can sleep in PI, if I choose. My glory days in the Marine Corps did give me a VERY hard headed case of athlete's foot, however, and when it flares, it's every bit as bad as the rash I had when I was nine. Best of luck finding comfort with it!

[+M 5]

A lot of people will probably say it is not true, but "oral ivy" by B&T works absolute wonders for at least some people. I personally know 3 people with great results. A friend who mows for a living (not yards, but more industrial areas) put a couple of drops in his coffee until the bottle was gone 13 years ago and hasn't gotten it since. He had it repeatedly before with the mower dust. My wife used it while she had PI, and it dried up and quit itching in half a day. A fellow geocacher used half a bottle 1 or 2 drops a day and hasn't gotten any since, and got it off and on for years geocaching. It may only work for some, but it does work for some.

Edited May 6, 2010 by M 5

[+KevinWinkler]

A lot of people will probably say is not true, but "oral ivy" by B&T works absolute wonders for at least some people. I personally know 3 people with great results. A friend who mows for a living (not yards, but more industrial areas) put a couple of drops in his coffee until the bottle was gone 13 years ago and hasn't gotten it since. He had it repeatedly before with the mower dust. My wife used it while she had PI, and it dried up and quit itching in half a day. A fellow geocacher used half a bottle 1 or 2 drops a day and hasn't gotten any since, and got it off and on for years geocaching. It may only work for some, but it does work for some.

 

Never heard of it before? I'll be googling me up some of that! I can catch it in the wind. I think it has something to do with the pollen. I am a die hard outdoors-man, but I am a woosie when it comes to poison ivy, oak, and sumac! I hate them all. I can spot a patch from several yards away but by then it's too late sometimes.

[oakenwood]

I've found that just brushing against poison ivy is mostly harmless, but if you break it, you will suffer. I once used a weed-wacker to clear out some brush and didn't see the PI. Bad. Very bad. I've heard that inhaling smoke from a fire with PI in it can kill. (Something about it inflaming your alveolae until you can't breathe.)

 

Learn to spot it. Poison Oak and Poison Sumac have the same three-leaf thing, so it's a good rule to follow. A shower after caching is a good idea; it cleans off the DEET and sweat, too. Throw in a tick-check and a pre-emptive PI decontamination, and you're in good shape.

[+BulldogBlitz]

Technu is about to become your new best friend.

It won't solve this week's problem, but once you learn to recognize what PI looks like, an application of technu within 2 hours of exposure will seriously minimize the reaction.

 

i got a bunch of that stuff for free at the conference i was at this week. good to know it works!

[+loudy13]

Technu is about to become your new best friend.

It won't solve this week's problem, but once you learn to recognize what PI looks like, an application of technu within 2 hours of exposure will seriously minimize the reaction.

Technu is the stuff you need, got into something while caching in MS and the local medic had a few packets of this stuff and it seemed to help alot, I ended up buying some now we wipe the family down after our caching trips just to be safe.

[+journey4truth]

I got bit by poison ivy shortly after I started geocaching, in a Walmart parking lot of all places. It almost turned me off to the hobby altogether. Now I keep a stock of Technu cream, although it didn't provide much relief while I was agonizing from the itches.

 

I did find extremely hot showers helped though, some say that's not a good idea but it provided wonderful temporary relief for me. It would ITCH A SON OF A FEMALE DOG for a moment but afterwards, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

 

Ironically enough, I came across a ton of leaves of three today, but it was hard to tell if they were really poison ivy. Every picture I have seen of PI always looks different. Some of the three leaved plants were very dull looking, and I expect PI to be much shinier in appearance due to the oil.

 

In any event, I think I'll stick to urban caching for the summer and return to trekking around in the woods when it's wintertime again. I know what the vines look like, so it's much easier to spot them and avoid them during the winter. Plus I don't have to worry about bears eating me either.

[+journey4truth]

Just occurred to me, there was an anti-itch gel made by Band-Aid that people SWORE by, in fact it worked so well that park rangers stocked and used them. It used to be called Rhuli Gel, and I tried to get a box of them when I last got PI but they weren't available then. I think I should check around just to have an alternative to the Technu cream.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Got PI once while recuperating from Lyme. It turned into allergic dermatitis! It took prednisone to cure that. Don't ever put me on prednisone again!!

Other than that, I just geta small itch that goes away in a few says, with no major problem.

[+DragonsWest]

Once you have the rash from Poison Oak or Poison Ivy forget Tecnu, that's for when you first make contact and come home with it all over yourself. You douse yourself with Tecnu, rub it in good and wipe off with paper towels and throw them away. Repeat at least once, for each area you suspect you came into contact with it, be sure to clean your hands well with it.

 

Once the rash begins use Tecnu Extreme. Place a dab in your hand, add small amount of cold water and scrub the rash area well. Scrub clean with a washcloth (again, cold water!) repeat. Rash should clear up in a couple days. Tecnu Extreme helps with the itch, too.

 

It is essential (though miserable) to use as cold water as possible to shower/bath with while you have a rash or recent exposure. Hot water spreads Urushiol, the oily resin responsible for angering your T-Cells, which hot water will soften and allow deeper into skin pores.

 

I've had exposure and severe rashes at least thee times in the past year. See my forum title.

[+David]

I am very susceptible to it. After the leaves come out, I can recognize it and stay away, but I always get it at the first of spring before the leaves. The vines give off the oils too as they wake up.

 

The alcohol thing works best for me. I don't dilute it though. Just keep a bottle in the truck and wash with right after exposure. Lots cheaper than Tecnu.

 

Stay away from your clothes until they are washed too. You can even get the oils from your dog's hair if they have come in contact.

 

Diligence is your friend.

[+DragonflyTotem]

Its been making my life hell for a few days and its only getting worse, so its gonna be a while before I hit the caches again.

bummer

anybody have any tips? anti-itch cream is a lifesaver

 

Since you live in Richmond, and as that is only a couple of hours from the beach (where I am), I'm going to offer this one up for what it's worth: get to the ocean.

 

I have had poison ivy several times when younger. Once I got it really bad just before we headed to Florida for vacation. I was pretty disappointed to be told that I shouldn't go swimming. So I had to limit myself to just wading in the ocean, but got some sea water up high enough on my legs that it hit some of the rash. The next morning everywhere the sea water had hit the rash, it was gone. So I went all the way, and the same thing happened and all of my rash was gone overnight. In the past 25 years or so of living here I have only been exposed to it twice and each time I went immediately to the beach to swim, and never got the rash. Take it for what it's worth, whether it makes sense or not, but you're close enough that for the investment of a few hours of time it could be worth it.

 

Anyone else ever try swimming in the ocean and found similar results???

[+Team MacKenzie]

Years ago I got some poison ivy rash where no person deserves to have it....no I wasn't wallowing in it. My partner got PI rescuing the dog and passed it along to me..nice guy that he was...

 

By the time I found something that would stop the PI in its' tracks, we had one of every drug on the pharmacy shelves in the house.

 

And old country doctor recommended pure Turpentine. Apply with a rag three or four times a day, allow to sit for 5 minutes or so and if there's too much of a burning sensation then wash gently with a washcloth and throw the cloth in the laundry. I had that rampant case of PI dried up and healing within 24 hours.

[+journey4truth]

Check this out, there are suggestions for using both cold and hot water. Funny, reminds me of the song from Weekend at Bernie's.

 

http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/water.html

 

"Some like it HOT, oh yessss, some like it COLD, oh nooo, some never knoOoOoOOooow, whooaoaoaoaoaoaoh!!!! Everyone would like a goood feeeEEEEeeeling...."

[+rob3k]

I did find extremely hot showers helped though, some say that's not a good idea but it provided wonderful temporary relief for me. It would ITCH A SON OF A FEMALE DOG for a moment but afterwards, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

 

This worked for me somewhat when I was eaten alive by chiggers last year. The intense itching when the hot water first hit was almost cathartic as I knew it would peak and then I'd have a bit of relief.

 

I've been hit some by PI, but I tend to wear long sleeves and long pants and so far I've only gotten a mild case or two on the back of my hands. *knock on wood*

[knowschad]

Technu is about to become your new best friend.

It won't solve this week's problem, but once you learn to recognize what PI looks like, an application of technu within 2 hours of exposure will seriously minimize the reaction.

Technu is the stuff you need, got into something while caching in MS and the local medic had a few packets of this stuff and it seemed to help alot, I ended up buying some now we wipe the family down after our caching trips just to be safe.

I just learned some interesting stuff about Tecnu (it is "Techu", not "Technu"). There are actually two products... Tecnu and Tecnu Extreme. Tecnu (the first one) is comprised of mineral spirits, water, propylene glycol octylphenoxy-polyethoxyethanol surfactant (a detergent), and mixed fatty acid soap (and fragrance).

 

I had expected Tecnu Extreme to be at least somewhat similar, but not in the least! That product has only one ingredient, and it comes from a plant (and no, not Jewelweed, as you might expect). This plant is one called the Gum Plant ( Grindelia Robusta ), It looks like this:

 

 

This *excellent* site says that it a "poultice made from the resinous flowers and leaves of gum plant (Grindelia robusta) was commonly used by Indians and early settlers in California to relieve inflammation and itching."

 

By the way, did you know that Japanese lacquer can cause a similar reaction to poison ivy?

Edited May 7, 2010 by knowschad

[+BulldogBlitz]

I just learned some interesting stuff about Tecnu (it is "Techu", not "Technu"). There are actually two products... Tecnu and Tecnu Extreme. Tecnu (the first one) is

 

are you sure it isn't tecmo?

[+DragonsWest]

Technu is about to become your new best friend.

It won't solve this week's problem, but once you learn to recognize what PI looks like, an application of technu within 2 hours of exposure will seriously minimize the reaction.

Technu is the stuff you need, got into something while caching in MS and the local medic had a few packets of this stuff and it seemed to help alot, I ended up buying some now we wipe the family down after our caching trips just to be safe.

I just learned some interesting stuff about Tecnu (it is "Techu", not "Technu"). There are actually two products... Tecnu and Tecnu Extreme. Tecnu (the first one) is comprised of mineral spirits, water, propylene glycol octylphenoxy-polyethoxyethanol surfactant (a detergent), and mixed fatty acid soap (and fragrance).

 

I had expected Tecnu Extreme to be at least somewhat similar, but not in the least! That product has only one ingredient, and it comes from a plant (and no, not Jewelweed, as you might expect). This plant is one called the Gum Plant ( Grindelia Robusta ), It looks like this:

 

 

This *excellent* site says that it a "poultice made from the resinous flowers and leaves of gum plant (Grindelia robusta) was commonly used by Indians and early settlers in California to relieve inflammation and itching."

 

By the way, did you know that Japanese lacquer can cause a similar reaction to poison ivy?

 

When studying the reaction to Poison Oak I learned quite a bit about what causes the rash and how to treat it.

 

The rash is an allergic reaction, thus the immune system is attacking the urushiol and tissue attached to urushiol, employing T-Cells, which effectively flood the area and gobble up everything suspicious.

 

Removal/breakdown of the Urushiol is a preventative measure and the best investment.

 

Treating the rash is another matter. Various salves, compounds and actions (or inactions as resisting the urge to itch) provide some relief, but once the urushiol has penetrated pores, such as sweat glands and follicles, the battle is joined and efforts are either working with the immune system or against it. Removal of urushiol once the rash appears gives it less to attack, though is less effective than preventative measures.

 

When I have the rash on my legs, they swell and become quite painful, as the limit to how much fluid can fit in my skin is explored. A good soak in cold water helps, but can be equally unpleasant. As weeping begins in the affected area Urushiol comes to the surface, as the skin menbrane is usually ruptured. This is where Tecnu Extreme is most helpful, removing the Urushiol and providing some relief to itching.

 

Not removing the Urushiol, as it flows out of the skin is invitation to spreading the rash. A scrub with Tecnu Extreme and cold water, at least thee times a day has done very well to reduce the period of rashes and their severity. There are other products, with similar results, for treating the rash, but do keep in mind, the rash, particularly when weeping is susceptible to infection, so wash thoroughly and when dry bandage with sterile gauze.

Edited May 7, 2010 by DragonsWest

[+pamlicojack]

I'm not saying you should do this or anyone else for that matter, but the only way I have found to kill it ... I scratch the $#!% out of it with a brush, and pour bleach right on it. It burns a little, but one or two applications of that, and it seems to dry right up for me.

 

I step into a steaming hot shower with a steel wool pad and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Scrub the infected areas and then pour the alcohol directly on the skin. After your screams fade away, you should be fine in about 24 hours. It will scab up but it does get rid of it rather quickly.

 

Unfortunately, I get it all the time. Virginia Creeper and Cedar trees can also make me break out so I keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol handy. There have been times I've used a knife blade to open the rash and when it's good and weepy, zap *scream*, and it's over...

[+gatoller]

About two weeks ago I was walking to a cache while looking down at the GPS, and walked face-first into a tree branch, I thought. Turned around to look at it after I'd extracted myself, and it was a very healthy new growth of poison ivy. I am susceptible, so I took these steps:

 

1. Headed straight home, which was fortunately only 10 minutes away.

2. Grabbed the dish detergent from the sink on my way to the shower.

3. Got the contaminated clothes off, put them in the washer with plenty of soap.

4. Turned the shower on as cool as I could stand it, and lathered up with the dish soap.

5. Rinsed well. Repeat the wash with dish soap.

 

I'll report happily that this works very well - the dish soap is the trick, as it's an oil breaker, and gets rid of the ursosol oil from the poison ivy.

 

If you can't get to the shower with dish soap fast, then the Tecnu is reportedly the way to go.

[+hallycat]

I was helping friends clear the woods behind their yard a few years back.

We all got it, bad. Idiot that I am, I listened to advice from this person and that person. Finally I called the dermatologist who lucky for me had after work hours. I honestly don't remember now if he gave me prednisone but the creams he gave me stopped the itching almost immediately. Wished I had gone right away rather then suffering. If I get it again that will be my first stop.

 

I keep the Tecnu with me now that I am in the woods often and wash ASAP with it if I think I've been exposed. So far so good.

[+M 5]

Immunity is the way to go. Try "oral Ivy" by B&T

[+hukilaulau]

I did find extremely hot showers helped though, some say that's not a good idea but it provided wonderful temporary relief for me. It would ITCH A SON OF A FEMALE DOG for a moment but afterwards, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

 

This worked for me somewhat when I was eaten alive by chiggers last year. The intense itching when the hot water first hit was almost cathartic as I knew it would peak and then I'd have a bit of relief.

 

Interesting. I would guess that you actually did have PI and not chiggers. This has always been a reliable test for me: If scalding water on the rash gives you an exquisitely pleasurable feeling, it's PI. If it just burns, it's chiggers. They can look quite similar. PI will go away fairly quickly. But a bad case of chiggers on your feet and ankles can last for 4 or 5 weeks and make you wish you were only dying of Lyme Disease.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

I carry a couple of Cortaid poison ivy wipes with me in my pack. More convenient than Tecnu. I still have Tecnu at home, but I use the wipes in the field.